Cycling in The Netherlands

[I FLY]

One of my rides was 25kms , ascent 40m, altitude -7m

[Blokman]

My eldest son, wife and four children have been living in Leiden for the past year. First thing they bought four bicycles. It was hard in the beginning . The kids ,two girls 10 and 8 and 2 boys 5 and 1.

Son could cycle, but the rest were shall we say ,just ok on bikes.

Problem, they have to ride to school. Dad is at work on his bike. So mom put the youngest in a seat on the toptube.(It also has a windscreen.) Bigger brother on the carrier at the back and the two girls on their own bikes. A steep learning curve, they took to it like ducks to water. Through the winter ,snow and rain.

You get special rain clothes for kids called Go Soaky I think . Kway werk nie.

Date night mom and dad dress smartly and go to town on their bicycles.

Commuter bikes everywhere in their thousands. Women dressed smartly in office clothes with high heel boots pedalling their bikes.

An eye opener.

One of the bike sheds at Leiden Station

 

Fold up bike on the train .Out the train, ride over the platform ,into the lift , out the other side through the station into the street.

 

Leidens Ontzet. Big parade . Huge party. Was this chap famous once ?

 

 

A mother with two kids and plenty of groceries in one of these is not a strange sight. About 4500 Euro.

 

 

Brand new . 1450 Euro. They also had a few racing bikes. I tried to make cycling conversation. Didn't work.

 

 

On the train.

 

 

 

[pe3nguin]

I used Google Maps to check out some cycling routes. Google invariably described the routes as "mostly flat". This reminded me of Douglass Adams description of Planet Earth in the "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" as  "mostly harmless". The Google description was pretty accurate.

Got some hills in the Vaals/Valkenburg region. Nothing impressive though. Maybe 350m?

[i24]

Then there are the bikes...

 

One might think that the Dutch are all riding steel framed bikes with back pedal brakes. While there are many of these, a modern Dutch city bike is a bit more sophisticated. A typical "nice to have" bike might look like this:

 

- Aluminum frame, maybe even carbon fibre.

 

- 7 speed internal gearbox in the rear hub. The same hub also accommodates a cable operated drum brake. Gear selection is controlled by a twist selector on the right hand grip. Note, unlike with derailleur gears, you have to freewheel or backpedal to change gear with the internal gears.

 

- Internal dynamo in the font hub to power the mandatory lights. It also contains another cable operated drum brake in the front hub.

 

- Mudguards, front and back. You need them cycling in the rain, in winter!

 

- Chain guard, often fully enclosed. Once again, a must have, if you are cycling in your work pants or your designer jeans - which many of the Dutch do.

 

- A sprung saddle or a sprung seat post - which helps make up for the lack of padded cycling shorts.

 

Then there are the mandatory accessories. Luggage racks on the back, often on the front too. A side stand. Two locks - one locks through the spokes of the back wheel while the 2nd is a chain to secure around a railing or lamp post. LED lights, front and rear and last but not least, a bell.

 

The typical city bike weighs in between 13kg and 15kg, excluding locks and panniers. (More on that later).

 

Handle bars have the traditional "U" shape plan. The seating position is very upright with no weight on your arms. The position is surprisingly comfortable but all the weight is on your backside - hence the requirement for a comfortable saddle. The "fit" is very straight forward. You just have to adjust the saddle height and you are ready to go. The upright position makes it easy to look around and over your shoulders, which is a safety feature in the commuter traffic.

 

These bikes are tough and low maintenance. They get exposed to the weather regularly and they get virtually no cleaning, maintenance or lubrication from week to week.

[J∆kk∆ls]

I just left Amsterdam and now live in Hamilton Canada. I loved and hated cycling in the Netherlands. Bike shops and services are pathetic compared to SA. I hear good things about Canada cycling and have just finished setting up my bike. The best thing you can do when cycling in Holland is put you bike on a train to the German border and cycle towards Eifel. There you will come across some of the best cycle roads in Europe.  

 

All I can say about the Netherlands is good riddance. 

[pe3nguin]

 

All I can say about the Netherlands is good riddance. 

Would be interested to hear more. This sentence seems to imply more than just bike shops were a problem whilst you were in NL.

[Dadbod Racing]

Don't walk into the bike path in Amsetdam, you'll get properly kakked out.... 

 

You don't even need to understand what the aunty or uncle was saying you just know you did wrong.....

 

The amount of times I pulled people out of the way and off the bike path, even off the tramlines!! ( I know they say not all heroes wear capes :-) ) 

 

Saw a couple on their way out and the lady was sitting at the back on the guys bike, which got me wondering where would they go if they wanted a little noekie?? 

 

Anyhoo I would simply love love love the dutch culture when it comes to cycling. I lived in York England for just over a year and they have a similar relationship with bicycles as the inner city is very small. 

[Blokman]

Would be interested to hear more. This sentence seems to imply more than just bike shops were a problem whilst you were in NL.

I agree. Got to give us a bit more Jakkals . I actually looked for your posts while you where there. I recall something about a bakfiets.

[Ozzie NL]

I just left Amsterdam and now live in Hamilton Canada. I loved and hated cycling in the Netherlands. Bike shops and services are pathetic compared to SA. I hear good things about Canada cycling and have just finished setting up my bike. The best thing you can do when cycling in Holland is put you bike on a train to the German border and cycle towards Eifel. There you will come across some of the best cycle roads in Europe.  

 

All I can say about the Netherlands is good riddance. 

Al they have to do is stop the pumps, that gets rid of about 40% of the country

[i24]

I just left Amsterdam and now live in Hamilton Canada. I loved and hated cycling in the Netherlands. Bike shops and services are pathetic compared to SA.

 

I was surprised how few bike shops I saw in The Netherlands - bearing in mind how many bicycles are on the road. I can only assume those city bikes never need servicing and that many Dutch cyclists buy their bicycles on-line.

 

I have also heard that parts of Canada are cycle friendly. In spring they clear the snow and spread grit on the cycle paths - even before they do the roads. No cycling in winter though. Plenty of options for mountain biking.

[Blokman]

To me it seemed that many of the Dutch people are reserved, somewhat aloof . I walked into two bike shops each time trying to make some conversation ."Hallo , I'm from SA, I also ride. Your cycling culture here fantastic......" Blank stare. One guy gave me a one sentence answer and it was over.

[Ozzie NL]

To me it seemed that many of the Dutch people are reserved, somewhat aloof . I walked into two bike shops each time trying to make some conversation ."Hallo , I'm from SA, I also ride. Your cycling culture here fantastic......" Blank stare. One guy gave me a one sentence answer and it was over.

Well...as said before there are only two types of people:

Those who are Dutch and those who want to be  

[Mojoman]

Don't walk into the bike path in Amsetdam, you'll get properly kakked out.... 

 

You don't even need to understand what the aunty or uncle was saying you just know you did wrong.....

 

The amount of times I pulled people out of the way and off the bike path, even off the tramlines!! ( I know they say not all heroes wear capes :-) ) 

 

Saw a couple on their way out and the lady was sitting at the back on the guys bike, which got me wondering where would they go if they wanted a little noekie?? 

 

Anyhoo I would simply love love love the dutch culture when it comes to cycling. I lived in York England for just over a year and they have a similar relationship with bicycles as the inner city is very small. 

I stayed in Rotterdam for a few days some years back for a friends wedding....my friend was across the road and I just sauntered across to meet her. (no traffic really)...all I heard behind me was people giving me a bollocking in dutch! My mate was pretty embarrassed....(she could have warned me right! )

[Mojoman]

To me it seemed that many of the Dutch people are reserved, somewhat aloof . I walked into two bike shops each time trying to make some conversation ."Hallo , I'm from SA, I also ride. Your cycling culture here fantastic......" Blank stare. One guy gave me a one sentence answer and it was over.

I agree, in RSA we seem to be more friendly when going to shops etc....like hey, howzit going? Cool... Could I have a packet of smokes please...

 

Over there when you try and be friendly they act as thought you are going to do something sketchy!

[Stretched@Birth]

I agree, in RSA we seem to be more friendly when going to shops etc....like hey, howzit going? Cool... Could I have a packet of smokes please...

 

Over there when you try and be friendly they act as thought you are going to do something sketchy!

That’s a bit of a generalization, my aunt had a tobacco and sweet shop in Vlaardingen (just outside Rotterdam), she’d chat with people for ages in the shop when they came in for a packet of smokes, but for her, the shop wasn’t about business, more about a social hub in the neighborhood!

[i24]

Over there when you try and be friendly they act as thought you are going to do something sketchy!

 

I agree, in RSA we seem to be more friendly when going to shops etc....like hey, howzit going? Cool... Could I have a packet of smokes please...

 

Over there when you try and be friendly they act as thought you are going to do something sketchy!

 

 

I found them to be quite friendly on the streets, when you out cycling or walking. Just a smile and a "Halo" usually got a friendly response.

 

I think shops are more self service - you are not supposed to actually ask for anything..